Left: Jamie Lee Komoroski (via Charleston County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office. Right: Aric Hutchinson and Samantha Miller, moments after getting married on April 28, 2023 (via GoFundMe).
A bride was killed moments after her wedding reception when the golf cart carrying her and her husband away from their reception was struck by an alleged drunk driver going more than twice the speed limit.
Samantha Miller, 34, died after Jamie Lee Komoroski, 25, allegedly slammed her rental car into the back of the golf cart on a road on Folly Beach, South Carolina, at around 10:00 p.m. on Friday. Miller’s new husband, Aric Hutchinson, reportedly suffered a brain injury and is in critical condition, and two other people in the golf cart were also hurt.
According to the Associated Press, Komoroski had reached 65 mph and had briefly hit the brakes before striking the golf cart. The speed limit on Folly Island, located some 10 miles south of Charleston, is 25 mph, the report said.
The golf cart was reportedly thrown 100 yards and rolled over several times after impact. Miller died on the scene.
Komoroski was not injured in the crash, local news affiliate WCBD reported. First responders said that she smelled of alcohol and refused to perform a field sobriety test, according the WCBD story, citing police affidavits.
Court records show that Komoroski is charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in death and felony driving under the influence resulting in great bodily injury.
Folly Beach Public Safety Department Director Andrew Gilreath said that the golf cart had lights and was legal to drive at night, the Associated Press reported.
Aric Hutchinson’s mother launched a GoFundMe effort in the wake of Miller’s death.
“I was handed Aric’s wedding ring in a plastic bag at the hospital, five hours after Sam placed it on his finger and they read each other their vows,” Annette Hutchinson’s fundraising page says. “Aric has lost the love of his life.”
Annette Hutchinson said that her son is in critical condition and “has had one of two reconstruction surgeries, numerous broken bones, and a brain injury.”
“He will have a long recovery,” she added.
The two other people in the golf cart were Annette Hutchinson’s son-in-law, Benjamin Garrett, and grandson, Brogan Garrett, who were escorting the couple from the reception at the time, the website says.
The couple had apparently “made their home in both the groom’s home state of Utah and the state of South Carolina,” the website said. Miller was from North Carolina.
As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe has more than quadrupled its stated goal of $100,000 to help pay for Miller’s burial and medical costs for Aric Hutchinson and his family.
WCBD reported that Komoroski has a history of speeding-related charges.
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